Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 146(too lazy to write the part number anymore)! Hope you'll enjoy it! This is the second to last chapter for Book 2, so tension is high.
Aside from that, I'm sorry I wasn't able to post this chapter last week for some IRL reasons. Still, the wait should be worth it as we're getting into the faster cultivation progress of the story.
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
Demian's defiant words seemed to trigger the Tribulation's anger, as the Lightning Lotus began vibrating even more fiercely, its nine petals fluttering in a non-existent wind.
Then, one of those nine petals detached from the floating 'plant' made of Heavenly Lightning Energy, transforming into a strangely small golden lightning bolt, its transcendent aura bringing both great fear and awe to the onlookers.
As for Demian's feelings, the one targeted by the bolt?
He felt like an insect about to be stepped on by a giant, not necessarily in terms of power level, but in terms of life level.
One was the Heavens, the other was a being under its rules.
Truly incomparable!
Objectively, if it were not because Tribulations were there to test and not to kill, no cultivator could survive under Heaven's onslaught.
Trying to withstand an entire World's wrath?
Maybe those Immortals high above could, but Mortals certainly could not!
That aside, as soon as the fierce lightning bolt formed, it fell toward Demian's head at a speed that defied reason, clearly beyond what even Bryn had to deal with, in both Aura and power.
Immortal-Grade Tribulation indeed...
'Finally here!'
Demian exclaimed inwardly, while sporting a solemn expression, though no trace of fear could be found on his face.
Immortal-Grade Tribulation it may have been, but his combat power more than matched the trial, so worries were unnecessary.
Just use 100% of your fighting strength, and everything should fall into place.
As the first lightning bolt approached ever closer, innumerable water bullets appeared in the air before immediately shooting toward the lightning streak as swiftly as the bolt itself was travelling toward the young man.
When the Spells collided with the lightning lance, they started chipping its energy little by little.
At the same time, the young man's body was suddenly covered by layer upon layer of water shields until his features turned indistinct, looking more like a water spirit than a true flesh-and-blood human.
Water bullets that could explode any random Peak Foundation Building cultivator and water shields that could easily negate even the latter's strongest attacks.
Normally, it should have been enough to deal with a Tribulation Lightning bolt of a Nine Lightning Tribulation, draining its energy reserve before it hit his body.
Reality, however, was harsh.
Those powerful water bullets, each with a level of destructive energy capable of razing swaths of Mortal city blocks, barely removed a third of the bolt's energy reserve, while those shields capable of easily tanking a rain of exploding bombs broke almost instantly, barely chipping another 20% of the bolt's power.
With around 50% of its energy left, it then struck the Dragon Fang armor, which dispersed around 30% of the total power before the destructive Lightning Energy properly hit Demian's body.
Was the first Lightning Bolt at 20% power powerful?
The answer was obviously yes.
However, sensing how much was left after being hit by his Bullet Spells, and after some quick calculations, Demian decided to take a gamble and not use his Dual Scimitar to weaken the bolt further.
Of course, he still formed many Water Shields and let his armor soak up some damage.
After all, it was not a game where one could respawn and try again when failing a mission, so he could only take risks until a certain point.
Here, failure meant death.
The reason for that calculated risk?
Simply hoping to gain some benefits through his Perk's characteristics that could help him tide the ordeal more securely.
Although only 20% of the bolt's Energy was left, the destructiveness was at a ridiculous level, melting the young man's skin almost immediately before attacking his muscles, tendons and organs.
Only his bones were spared from receiving any damage, but anything else external, from his hair to his eyes and other 'weaker bits' had pretty much vanished, leaving him looking like a melted candle, though his appearance was hidden by his full-body armor.
After finally exhausting all its energy, the destruction ceased and shifted to creation, akin to Spring replacing Winter.
The healing phenomenon was miraculous, its speed defying reason, even from a cultivator's perspective.
Indeed, though the lightning bolt contained some creation energy, adhering to the principle of yin-yang, destroying and nurturing, it was nowhere near enough for that sort of reality-breaking healing effect.
His organs and tendons, previously scorched by the destructive energy, quickly regained their former healthy sheen, growing slightly tougher than before.
His half-melted flesh and completely disappeared skin had swiftly reformed, stronger and more flexible than before, while his eyes and 'weaker bits' had also reappeared, also gaining some perceptible improvements.
As soon as his body was completely restored to pristine condition, Demian let out a curse, cold sweat dripping along his back as his mind was still reeling from the nightmarish ordeal.
"Fuck me, that was intense!"
Was it painful?
Try having your body melt like a scented candle, and you will know the answer to that stupid question.
Fortunately, his pain tolerance was extremely high, and coupled with the short duration, his mind stayed steady, helping him control his urge to scream from the agonising pain.
Well, the fact that both his tongue and vocal cords had melted did play a part, as well.
Taking one deep breath after another to calm his out-of-control heartbeat, a feeling of relief slowly appeared in his heart.
He survived the damn thing!
'Fuck! I'm so glad I wasn't dumb enough to take the bolt without my Water shields and armor or this day next year might have been my death anniversary...'
Feeling some dread at the potential disaster he had avoided, he added inwardly.
'Even with my Perks, I really can't act like those overconfident fools in the novels I read. Flying into the Tribulation Cloud and making it scared of you? What a load of bullshit! If I do the same, I'll definitely end up as cosmic dust.'
No matter how powerful a cultivator became, their Tribulation would adapt its own strength.
All under the Heavens were equal.
Dreaming about being so powerful that the Lightning Tribulation was powerless to inflict damage to you was merely that, a dream.
Even those supreme geniuses with Immortal-Grade talent were not supposed to do what Demian did and let 20% of the bolt's Energy hit them directly.
That would normally be suicidal.
Anyone else in his position would have melted away by the burning energy, and only through his Perk's help, the latter having absorbed and thus drained the assaulting energy before transforming it into a beneficial one, not only healing but also tempering his Physique, Soul and Mana further, was he able to survive and even profit from that life-and-death situation.
Stretching a bit, Demian contemplated the changes his body had just undergone.
'Although I almost died, it was worth it. If I get hit by the same bolt now, my skin might melt, and my flesh get burnt, but my organs and tendons should be completely fine... But I doubt the second bolt won't get more powerful. So, the question is: How much more powerful will it get?'
Indeed, the power of each bolt grew progressively stronger, though depending on the type and grade of a tribulation, the growth differed.
Normally, a Nine Lightning tribulation had 81 Lightning Bolts as a ceiling for those Peak Heaven-Grade prodigies.
Because the number of bolts was high, the growth in strength for each bolt was gradual, noticeable, but not necessarily overwhelming.
However, Demian's current Tribulation was something he had never heard about, and thus, he could only speculate.
Observing the eight petals left on the Lotus, there was a high chance that the Tribulation had a total of Nine Bolts instead of 81.
A good thing?
Not necessarily!
With so 'few' bolts, it was not a stretch to guess that every consecutive bolt would experience a great increase in power, which meant that the little stunt he just pulled out successfully may not be able to work for the following bolts.
Noticing the vibration of those petals growing even stronger, Demian had a serious look, which turned resigned as he let out a sigh.
'Forget it! If I can't cheat, I just won't. Risking my life for a bit of improvement isn't worth it. I'll just have to go through the Tribulation the old-fashioned way.'
If he knew how much power each individual bolt possessed, he could have maximised his gains, weakening each bolt just enough to avoid dying while gaining the most benefits.
But, since he did not, he chose the 'safer' route.
Well, calling it safe might be a stretch, though.
Loosening his neck muscles, he observed one of those eight pulsating petals left on the lightning lotus grow even more agitated, its energy fluctuations more intense than the first 'Petal-Bolt'.
Similar to the previous time, that petal swiftly detached from the lotus stem before shifting its form to a massive and hair-rising golden lightning bolt, dropping toward his body in a blink.